A social phenomenon that occurs in the Portland Oregon area. It explains the difficulty of making new friends in the city of Portland, OR, especially being a transplant from outside of the city or state. New residents tend to describe Portlanders as generally polite but not warm and friendly. Very similar to the Seattle Freeze but possibly more perplexing because of the significant number of non-Oregonian/transplants in recent years.
Transplant: Hey, let's meet up sometime!
Portlander: *awkward silence for a few seconds*... Yeah. But I don't think I can, sorry.
Transplant: Hey, you heard of the Portland Freeze?
Portlander: Not really. Most people are transplants anyway. Maybe you're just not social.
Portlander: *awkward silence for a few seconds*... Yeah. But I don't think I can, sorry.
Transplant: Hey, you heard of the Portland Freeze?
Portlander: Not really. Most people are transplants anyway. Maybe you're just not social.
by jollytravels January 15, 2019